HRN Hispanic Radio Network Responds to Advertisers Creates “The Influencer Radio Network.” HRN, the highly Nielsen-Rated Hispanic Radio Network, has created “The Influencer Network” to help advertisers connect with Hispanic communities across the U.S. The Influencer Network leverages the growing impact of HRN’s syndicated personalities on their radio listeners and social media followers.  “Radio personalities are the original influencers” says Clark Logan, President of HRN. “Fernando Fiore (a.k.a. Mr. Soccer), Ana Maria Canseco, Riva, (Los 40 USA) and DJ Xtreme are great talents. Their audiences on air and online identify with them while listening to their shows and reading the social posts in a lean-forward fashion. Brands can use association with these influencers to increase awareness and favorability of their brands with consumers.” For more information on the HRN Hispanic Radio Network, contact Clark Logan at Clark.Logan@genmediapartners.com for advertising and Jimmy Perez at jimmy.perez@genmediapartners.com for affiliations.

Austin’s KUT News and KUTX 98.9 GM Debbie Hiott Elected to the NPR Board of Directors. KUT/KUTX, Austin GM Debbie Hiott has been elected to the NPR Board of Directors by NPR member station peers from across the country. Her term began yesterday (11/4) and runs through 2027. “It felt important to have a seat at the table at a critical time for NPR as it determines how to address challenging audience and underwriting trends, and how it will handle relationships with member stations,” said Hiott. “NPR’s health is our health, and vice versa. It’s important that the member stations and NPR work together on solutions to our audience and revenue challenges. I’m hoping I can help contribute to those solutions.”

POLLS AND PREDICTIONS:  The presidential race was supremely dominant on the top talk media stories list yesterday (11/4) on Election Eve.  Conversation focused primarily on polls and predictions.  Other top issues of discussion emanating from that included abortion rights, the economy, media bias, war and rising tensions in the Middle East and Central Europe, and the ever-present migrant/border crisis according to ongoing TALKERS research.

According to an article published yesterday (11/3) in The New York Times written by reporter Andrew Higgins, when a state-funded Polish radio station canceled a weekly show featuring interviews with theater directors and writers, the host of the program went quietly, resigned to media industry realities of cost-cutting and shifting tastes away from highbrow culture. But his resignation turned to fury in late October after his former employer, Off Radio Krakow, aired what it billed as a “unique interview” with an icon of Polish culture, Wislawa Szymborska, the winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize for Literature. The terminated radio host, Lukasz Zaleski, said he would have invited Szymborska on his morning show himself, but never did for a simple reason: She died in 2012. The station used artificial intelligence to generate the recent interview – a dramatic and, to many, outrageous example of technology replacing humans, even dead ones. Zaleski conceded that the computer-generated version of the poet’s distinctive voice was convincing. “It was very, very good,” he said, but “I went to her funeral, so I know for sure that she is dead. ”The technology-enabled resurrection of the dead poet was part of a novel experiment by Off Radio Krakow, an arm of Poland’s public broadcasting system in the southern city of Krakow. The aim was to test whether A.I. could revive a moribund local station that had “close to zero” listeners, according to the head of public radio in Krakow. The station also planned from-the-grave interviews with other dead people, including Jozef Pilsudski, Poland’s leader when it regained its independence in 1918. Novelty value – and a storm of public outrage – worked to bolster Off Radio Krakow’s audience, which the head of Radio Krakow said grew to 8,000 overnight from just a handful of people after the introduction of three A.I.-generated Generation Z presenters – Emilia, 20, Jakub, 22, and Alex, 23, each of whom had a computer-generated photograph and biography on the station’s website. Less welcome than the audience surge, however, has been a barrage of abuse directed at the public broadcasting system and accusations that it was sacrificing humans on the altar of technology.  To read the entire article published yesterday in The New York Times, please click here.

Audacy names Jonathan Peterlin (pictured above right) as afternoon show co-host on 92.3 The Fan (WKRK-FM) in Cleveland. Peterlin will join co-host Nick Wilson (above left) and be heard weekdays from 2:00 to 7:00 pm ET. Peterlin had previously served as the station’s evening host since 2022.  “We believe Jonathan’s addition and presence on the show will bring a unique passion and energy to afternoon drive,” said Keith Britton, the station’s brand manager. “He has shown both the ability and readiness for this move and we are full speed ahead in our commitment to providing our listeners with the most engaging sports talk and entertainment on a daily basis.”  “92.3 The Fan and its listeners have been with me through every major chapter of my life, and this station has been a constant presence in my world,” said Peterlin. “Afternoon drive in Cleveland is the pinnacle of what I’ve always aspired to, and I truly couldn’t imagine a better person to share this journey with than my good friend, Nick Wilson. I’m extremely thankful for the chance to continue this journey with the listeners and the team at 92.3 The Fan.”

The presidential race dominated the weekend talk media discussions (11/2-3), highlighted by each candidate’s “closing case.” VP Kamala Harris‘s appearance on SNL got a buzz as did NBC’s response to backlash with an offer of equal time to former President Donald Trump. Women’s health issues and abortion rights were dominant topics. This was followed by fear of escalating violence in Central Europe and the Middle East. Other topics in the mix were the economy, the migrant crisis, and talk of Trump’s plan to put Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr. in positions of influence in his administration according to ongoing research from TALKERS.

TALKERS Heavy Hundred radio star Larry O’Connor just wrapped up nearly two weeks of shows from the WRFH studios on the campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. He hosted his “O’Connor & Company” morning program on Newstalk 105.9 WMAL in Washington, DC, as he served as Eugene C. Pulliam Distinguished Fellow in Journalism. Larry also produced his daily Townhall streaming show “LARRY” from the complex. While at Hillsdale, he taught a one-credit class for its journalism students, “Broadcasting and Podcasting,” and also delivered a public lecture entitled “The Media and the 2024 Election.” Video of that lecture can be found here.  Scot Bertram, general manager, WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM tells TALKERS, “I was happy to play a small role in making this incredible show happen every day for listeners in our nation’s capital and around the country. It was a real pleasure to watch this well-oiled machine operate, led by Larry, executive producer Heather Hunter, and technical producer Michael Shelton. Our journalism students learned a lot from observing these shows and having the opportunity to talk with Larry and receive in-person advice.”  Pictured above: Larry O’ Connor (l) and Scot Bertram (r) at Hillsdale. (Photo by Austin Thomason.)

WURD Radio Endorses Kamala Harris for President.  For the first time in its 20+ year history, Philadelphia’s only Black-owned radio station, WURD Radio has endorsed a political candidate — Kamala Harris for President of the United States. Prompted in part by the decision from owners of the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post to overrule planned endorsements by their editorial boards, sources at the station tell TALKERS, this decision underscores the importance of independent media ownership. From the endorsement: “Our founder, Walter P. Lomax Jr., M.D., understood that the media has the power to shape perceptions, images, narratives and, most importantly in this election, to tell the truth. He understood that the media can demonize or humanize, destroy or exalt, diminish or elevate. Dr. Lomax knew that mainstream media often marginalizes, caricatures and maligns Black people. WURD is in a unique position to speak honestly and emphatically about what matters most to our community because we are independently owned.”  To read the entire text of the endorsement, please click here.

SiriusXM Tips Off College Basketball Coverage with 74 Games on Opening Night, November 4.  SiriusXM will deliver college basketball fans an extensive schedule of live games throughout the 2023-24 college basketball season, starting with a slate of 74 women’s and men’s matchups to choose from when the season tips off this Monday (11/4).  The men’s schedule includes all 19 teams from the Associated Press Top 25 that are in action on Monday night, including the season’s first matchup of Top 25 ranked teams – #8 Baylor @ #6 Gonzaga (11:30 pm ET). The opening day schedule of women’s games on SiriusXM includes 12 teams from the Associated Press Top 25 and features a couple of Top 25 matchups – #20 Ole Miss @ #3 USC (noon ET) and #5 UCLA @ #17 Louisville (2:30 pm ET).  Throughout the season SiriusXM listeners will get access to dozens of game broadcasts each week involving teams from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12, Big East and more.

Newsmax Launches in France on Molotov.  Newsmax TV, one of America’s most popular news channels, just launched on Molotov, one of France’s leading TV platforms, as U.S. voters go to the polls to pick their next president.  The Newsmax channel went live on Molotov’s platform on October 24, 2024, expanding its global footprint with 19 million Molotov users in France and French-speaking territories.  Molotov is one of France’s main TV services offering streaming television to internet users across the nation and its territories. Molotov subscribers can tune to Newsmax via the platform’s free tier.

It was a power-packed stretch (10/28-11/1) as Election Day rapidly approached less than a week away. The presidential race highlighted by continuing talk about the MSG MAGA event and “garbage” talk emanating from both sides consumed the airwaves and talk media programs on all platforms.  Hot topics included: migrant-border issues; the economy-inflation-tariffs-housing; abortion-healthcare-climate change- race relations; Middle East and Central Europe war-violence; Elon Musk activities- big tech-media corruption-bias; crime-guns; Halloween; and the World Series. To see the complete chart of the most talked about stories and people, please click here.

Cumulus Media Inc. today (11/4) announced operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. Mary G. Berner, president and CEO of Cumulus Media, said, “During the third quarter, we delivered revenue and EBITDA in-line with pacing commentary and analyst estimates. Given the market challenges, we maintained our focus on what we can control. Specifically, we continued investing to drive growth in our digital businesses, including in digital marketing services which increased revenue nearly 40% in the quarter; capitalizing on areas of improvement in national and political ad spending; maximizing operating cash flow; and improving operating leverage through ongoing expense reductions.” Berner continued, “Looking forward, the advertising environment remains uncertain. Nonetheless, Cumulus has a valuable set of assets with which to navigate that uncertainty including: profitable and fast-growing digital businesses; a vast national platform that can reach audiences whenever and wherever they choose to listen; extensive feet-on-the-street local sales capabilities which allow us to walk product through the door; premium programming with particular strength in sports and news/talk; an extensive untapped audio library; and a leadership team with a strong track record of expense management and disciplined stewardship of capital. As we continue to execute against our priorities, we see many paths for leveraging these assets to maximize the value they produce for our shareholders.”

Q3 Key Highlights:

• Posted total net revenue of $203.6 million, a decline of 1.8% year-over-year

• Generated digital revenue of $40.0 million, up 7.5% year-over-year

     • Grew digital marketing services by 38% driven by an increase in new customers, improved customer retention and higher average order size

     •  Increased number of radio-only customers who also bought digital marketing services by 32% year-over-year

     •  Increased digital revenue to 20% of total company revenue

•  Recorded net loss of $10.3 million compared to net income of $2.7 million in Q3 2023 and Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $24.1 million compared to $26.9 million in Q3 2023

•  Generated $3.9 million of cash from operations 1

•  Reported total debt of $673.0 million, total debt at maturity of $642.1 million, and net debt less total unamortized discount of $590.0 million at September 30, 2024, including total debt due in 2026 of $23.9 million.

For further information and the full report, please contact: Cumulus Media Inc. Investor Relations Department IR@cumulus.com 404-260-6600.

The presidential race remained dominant on top of the stories list yesterday (10/30) as Election Day rapidly approaches.  Conversation included a continuing rehashing of last Sunday’s controversial MAGA rally at MSG with a huge focus on the comments/fallout from the Puerto Rican community and President Joe Biden‘s controversial remark about former President Donald Trump‘s supporters being “garbage.”  VP Kamala Harris‘s speech in DC, continued to be among the most-talked-about election stories in news/talk media yesterday (10/30).  Other top issues of discussion included the economy, media bias, rising tensions in the Middle East and Central Europe, the migrant crisis, and the World Series according to ongoing TALKERS research.

Audacy has named Ray Borelli senior vice president of research and insights, effective immediately. As the Company continues its re-imagination, Borelli will lead Audacy’s audio research and insights practice, closely supporting its forward growth agenda and client enablement strategies. He will report to Paul Suchman, chief marketing officer, and work closely with Audacy’s leadership team across revenue, digital and programming. Suchman tells TALKERS, “Ray’s research experience across channels and media, coupled with his unique ability to turn data into powerful narratives, will make him an excellent addition to the team as we execute our forward strategy,” adding, “With tenure spanning some of the most influential media companies, his expertise in driving meaningful outcomes for clients will be a strong asset as Audacy continues to elevate our value to the advertising community.”  “I am thrilled to be joining Audacy at such an exciting time for the audio industry,” said Borelli. “Audacy’s portfolio of brands and research platform is best in class, and I look forward to working closely with our team and advertising partners to help fuel exponential growth for the business.”  Borelli previously served as VP of ad sales research at Warner Bros. Discovery, directing the go-to-market sales narrative for WBD’s portfolio. He also previously served as SVP for CNBC, leading the company’s research and scheduling teams and helping build the brand’s market-leading digital business. His research and leadership experience was also built on tenures at the National Basketball Association and FOX Sports.

Remote News Service Continues Growth – Pacific Northwest.  Remote News Service (RNS), a live and localized news network providing hyper targeted, and custom news/traffic remotely, announces the addition of three new stations to its client list. Lotus Communications Seattle joins Remote News Service adding Northwest News Radio KNWN 1000/97.7, HANK 101.5, and Talk Radio 570 KVI. Frank Lenzi, news director for KNWN said “We are excited about our new partnership with Remote News Service. Their traffic anchors provide our listeners with the top-notch, real-time traffic information for which they have come to rely on us for generations.”  Remote News Service owner Lesley Lotto said “We are thrilled to welcome Lotus Communications, which has such a great reputation in the industry, to the RNS family. This year has been one of tremendous growth and these stations magnify the quality of client stations and markets we’ve been able to attract. It’s all about the exceptional performance of our team.”  For more information, visit remotenewsservice.com.

Proving There’s More to Life in America this Week than Just Presidential Politics. Pictured above is Salem Radio Networks (SRN) East Coast affiliate relations manager Jim Bligh – a frequent “player” in NYC-based skits on “Saturday Night Live“ in addition to appearing in theatrical feature films – joined NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” on Tuesday 10/29). Fallon and Grammy-winning guest Olivia Rodrigo played “What’s Behind Me?”…a charade style game with Fallon describing action happening as her back was turned. Blight – far right – acted out a scene of Three Mobsters doing Yoga at a Barnes & Noble. See Bligh’s skit by clicking here.

The presidential race, including a continuing rehashing of Sunday’s controversial MAGA rally at MSG with a huge focus on the comments/fallout from the Puerto Rican community, former President Donald Trump‘s recent appearance with Joe Rogan, and scrutiny over VP Kamala Harris‘s speech in DC, was among the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday (10/29).  Other issues of discussion included the economy, media bias, rising tensions in the Middle East and Central Europe, and, of course, the migrant crisis according to ongoing TALKERS research.

Cumulus Media, which describes itself as a top “audio-first” media company, and TuneIn, self-proclaimed world’s leader in “live audio,” today (10/29) announced that they have renewed and expanded their existing content partnership. Under the terms of the deal, TuneIn will continue to make Cumulus Media’s local sports, news, talk and entertainment programming available to its 75 million monthly global listeners. The extended agreement also includes a new, non-exclusive sales and supply partnership to optimize digital audio advertising monetization for Cumulus’ diverse radio stations. Cumulus owns and operates 400 radio stations across 84 markets with an extensive collection of nationally syndicated sports, news, talk and entertainment programming. As part of the agreement, audio streams of Cumulus stations and podcasts, which includes popular stations like WBAP, Dallas; WLS, Chicago; and KNBR, San Francisco will remain available 24/7 through TuneIn.  “TuneIn naturally aligns with our strategy to expand our digital footprint and extend the reach of our diverse programming to a global audience,” said Brian Philips, chief content officer of Cumulus Media, telling TALKERS, “TuneIn offers significant global reach that makes it possible for listeners to easily discover our extensive collection of radio stations and podcasts almost anywhere through the TuneIn platform and 200+ connected devices.” “We are excited to continue to expand our long-standing partnership with Cumulus to extend the reach of their comprehensive content offerings,” said Rich Stern, CEO of TuneIn. “This partnership allows us to bring high-quality content to our listeners while also helping Cumulus monetize its digital audio advertising inventory effectively. It’s a win-win for both companies and our audiences.”